10 Mind-Blowing Misconceptions About The Berlin Wall

3. That All Western Leaders Actually Wanted The Wall To Fall

It would seem natural to anyone nowadays that all Western leaders would have longed for the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s €“ with such pleas from US President Ronald Reagan urging Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev to €œTear down this Wall!€ being cited as a prime example of this €“ but nothing could be further from the truth. French President Francois Mitterend and, most prominently, Margaret Thatcher were both against the reunification of Germany in the immediate aftermath of November 9, 1989 €“ and were even appalled and horrified by the idea. In fact, Thatcher was so incensed by the prospect that she told Gorbachev: €œWe (Britain) do not want a united Germany. This would lead to a change to postwar border and we cannot allow that because such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security.€ These comments, and the fear of a new Nazi-like expansion across Europe by a reunited Germany professed by Mitterrand, must be placed in context, however. Britain and France, unlike the US, were in close proximity to Germany. France had been invaded on at least three occasions in the previous 120 years by the Germans, and the British had been brought to their knees €“ as had the French €“ by two brutal World Wars. The fears may seem slightly hysterical and over-the-top, but are in a lot of ways understandable. A strong, united Germany could in theory have risen once again and looked for European domination. Therefore Mitterrand and Thatcher did not support the collapse of the Wall, as they feared the potential ramifications that could follow...